Instant Salvation
by SamKo
Summary: It's been a long day at work, and everyone's done for the day, except Ichigo. She's got something she knows she's got to do. Written for Forever Mesmerised's competition. IxR.


Huzzah! I am alive again! Again! And I'll probably say that pretty much every time I post something new!

When I got the idea for this one-shot, it was originally going to go in my drabble set, Ongoing Problem, but I was invited to enter it in a contest, so it's going that-a-way instead! Since Christmas is almost here, I decided to write a…not Christmas story! In fact, this one-shot is about a completely different holiday, so enjoy~!

Disclaimer-I'm poor and don't own anything.

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Work had just ended, early for the day. The girls all headed to the locker room and the boys headed downstairs to the lab. Ichigo sort of staggered around, trying to stay behind without seeming awkward, which was very difficult for her. She was so focused on making sure everyone had left the room and slowly moving around that the multi-tasking was too much for her and she tripped over her own feet, stumbling about until she regained her balance with her hands on a table about ten feet away from where she initially began to trip about. Even with everyone gone, it was amazing how she could pull things like this off completely on her own.

Regaining whatever composure she had, she whipped out her notebook and pen for waitressing, quickly jot something down, tore the page out, ran into the kitchen grabbing a small piece of scotch tape, and proceded to tip-toe downstairs into the lofty darkness.

The basement was dark as always, with just the dim lights of the computer monitors blinking every so often to see with. Ryou and Keiichiro seemed to be intensely discussing something, seemingly perfect for Ichigo's plan. With the low hum of the many computers all around, she knew she could go through with her task unnoticed. As stealthily as she could manage, Ichigo crawled up behind Ryou, ready to make her mark, but hesitated, as she easily caught ear of their conversation, with her enhanced cat-hearing.

"Keiichiro, I really just don't think I can take it much longer," Ryou said, the most serious she'd heard him all day, but with how he'd been menacingly joking all day, more so than usual, there was no way she was going to back down from her ever-so-perfect plan, especially with him not paying any attention, an opportunity like this...

"But what in the world are you thinking of doing to solve your little predicament?" Keiichiro asked hastily, "You're not exactly Mr. Nice Guy."

Ichigo held her breath on that one. Damn straight, Keiichiro, he wasn't.

"I know that but still…come on, you've gotta have some advice for me?"

Keiichiro sighed. "Well, at this point there isn't much of anything you can do. She thinks you hate her. Just popping up to her one day saying 'Hey, guess what, I actually love you!' isn't exactly going to fly by so well with someone like her."

Ichigo was starting to lose her balance. _Ryou? In love with someone? There was noooo way._ Despite her thinking, she took this as an opportunity to slide her hand up, ever so carefully patting her notebook paper onto the blonde's back, pressing it slightly to make sure it stayed, which it did. Ryou was too preoccupied to notice her at all, startling her. Truth to tell, Ichigo wasn't expecting that her plot would fall through as easily as it did, but she was so glad. Finally, she'd be getting some payback, and Ryou wouldn't even know what hit him! Finally, after getting made fun of for her cat genes all this time, Ryou would finally get some of his own medicine! Finally...well, maybe she'd eavesdrop just a tad bit longer…

"Do you realize how much more awkward the workplace will become if you decided to act out on your feelings?"

"Eh, I know, I know, you're right, you're right. Even though she's so blatantly obvious about some things, Ichigo's incredibly hard to read sometimes."

_Wait_, Ichigo's thoughts were totally thrown off the rails, losing her attention, _ME? RYOU'S IN LOVE WITH **ME?!**_

Completely forgetting her initial purpose, the clumsy cat-girl bolted up, screeching, "YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH **ME**?!"

Ryou spun around, to find the strawberry with a face redder than strawberries, and from what he could tell, it was a mix of surprise and frustration. Ryou was equally surprised, and began to stammer, lacking any words to say, his normally quick-witted mind at a loss for a come-back this time around.

"Uh," he tried, "uhm" he tried again, nervously glancing at Keiichiro to see him do nothing other than shrug at his friend, when he was in dire need of instant salvation.

"WELL?!" Ichigo blasted, sort of spurting out in the frenzy, not entirely sure where she was going to go with all of this anyway, her mind was racing anyhow. Her stance straddling, her hands in tight fists, and her face twisted up, she was demanding an answer _now_.

Ryou snapped. He regained his composition. Briskly grazing his hand through his hair, he coolly answered, "April fools! We had you going so bad!" And he chuckled, which turned into a full laugh once he saw Ichigo's face, completely dumb-struck.

However, when Ryou turned to leave, and began to walk away, she was then reminded of her own hilarious joke for that day, and even Keiichiro had to hold back a small snort.

Ryou's back read, "Ask me about what makes me pur!"


End file.
